Application of Magnetic Nanoparticles in Pharmaceutical Sciences

# The Author(s) 2010. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com KEY WORDS magnetic beads. magnetic bioseparation. magnetic nanoparticle

Cell Type-Specific Activation of AKT and ERK Signaling Pathways by Small Negatively-Charged Magnetic Nanoparticles

The interaction of nanoparticles (NPs) with living organisms has become a focus of public and scientific debate due to their potential wide applications in biomedicine, but also because of unwanted side effects. Here, we show that superparamagnetic iron oxide NPs (SPIONs) with different surface coatings can differentially affect signal transduction pathways. Using isogenic pairs of breast and colon derived cell lines we found that the stimulation of ERK and AKT signaling pathways by SPIONs is selectively dependent on the cell type and SPION type. In general, cells with Ras mutations respond better than their non-mutant counterparts. Small negatively charged SPIONs (snSPIONs) activated ERK to a similar extent as epidermal growth factor (EGF), and used the same upstream signaling components including activation of the EGF receptor. Importantly, snSPIONs stimulated the proliferation of Ras transformed breast epithelial cells as efficiently as EGF suggesting that NPs can mimic physiological growth factors.SFI GrantNo. 06/CE/B1129.Deposited by bulk impor

Titanium dioxide nanomaterials cause endothelial cell leakiness by disrupting the homophilic interaction of VE-cadherin

10.1038/ncomms2655Nature Communications4

Hepatitis C Virus Proteins Activate NRF2/ARE Pathway by Distinct ROS-Dependent and Independent Mechanisms in HUH7 Cells

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a highly pathogenic human virus associated with liver fibrosis, steatosis, and cancer. In infected cells HCV induces oxidative stress. Here, we show that HCV proteins core, E1, E2, NS4B, and NS5A activate antioxidant defense Nrf2/ARE pathway via several independent mechanisms. This was demonstrated by the analysis of transient co-expression in Huh7 cells of HCV proteins and luciferase reporters. Expression, controlled by the promoters of stress-response genes or their minimal Nrf2-responsive elements, was studied using luminescence assay, RT-qPCR and/or Western-blot analysis. All five proteins induced Nrf2 activation by protein kinase C in response to accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In addition, expression of core, E1, E2, NS4B, and NS5A proteins resulted in the activation of Nrf2 in a ROS-independent manner. The effect of core and NS5A was mediated through casein kinase 2 and phosphoinositide-3 kinase, whereas those of NS4B, E1, and E2, were not mediated by either PKC, CK2, PI3K, p38, or ERK. Altogether, on the earliest stage of expression HCV proteins induced a strong up-regulation of the antioxidant defense system. These events may underlie the harmful effects of HCV-induced oxidative stress during acute stage of hepatitis C